For the Fundraising Dinner Sponsored by Sir David Tang and co-hosted by
Sir Stephen Fry at the China Tang in the Dorchester Hotel
Oct 1st
2013
I am very sorry not to be able to join you in personl this
evening, but I just wanted to say that I am full of admiration for Sir David
Tang’s efforts to help protect China’s
remaining, and much threatened, tiger population.
Along with so many others, I have been deeply concerned b
the evermore alarming threats posed to the world’s unique biological diversity
through large scale poaching, the illegal wildlife trade, the increasing loss
of natural habitats and, on top of all this, climate change. There are few more
acute and poignant manifestations of our impact on the natural world than the
loss in large numbers 0 and, perish the thought – the potential extinctionin
our lifetimes of a number of the world’s most inconic, charismatic and
beautiful species, among which the tigers of South China – as with the rhinos
and elephants of Asia and Africa –have a particular place in our imaginations
and our hearts. And yet, as a result of the now catastrophic demand by
consumers-chiefly in Eat Asia- for elephant ivory, rhino horn and tiger parts,
we are faced with the very real possibility of the disappearance of these
species from the wild.
It seems to me that all humanity is diminished if we lose
these remarkable species, and indeed that humanity is less than humanity
without the rest of creation. I find it inconceivable that our children and
grandchildren could live in a world bereft of these animals and these species.
It is to me, therefore, a source of hope that Sir David,
Stephen and all of you have gathered together this eveing to learn more and to
raise vital funds not only for critically important conservation efforts, but
also, I can only pray, for raising awareness amongst consumers of the terrible
damage being done to the natural world through the illegal wildlife trade.
These efforts can play a hugely important role, too, in encouraging a change in
the attitudes of peoples and societities. But I fear we have so little time
left in which to do this which is why your support and generosity are of such
crucial importance.
For more info: www.ChinaTigerRevival.org.uk
The focus of the Wild 10 Congress is “Rewilding Europe”.
Over 900 delegates, ranging from government representatives to wildlife and
nature conservation organizations etc from over 50 countries around the world
attended the congress. Ms. Quan’s experiment, though initially controversial,
has now been accepted as a fully viable (and necessary) alternative to
rebuilding wild tiger populations. Rewilding is now being adopted by many
conservation initiatives as a viable model to restore wildlife populations as
well as their habitat.
